This invention relates generally to boots or feed transfer devices for agricultural feeding systems.
Automated feed storage and delivery systems for poultry and like animals have met with widespread commercial success. Many such systems utilize one or more large bins for preliminarily storing the feed and one or more conveyors for moving the stored feed from the bin to intermediate hoppers or dispensing stations. The device by which feed is transferred from a bin to a conveyor is often referred to as a boot, and it is an important part of an automated feeding system.
It is the general object of this invention to provide an improved boot for transferring feed and like free-flowing materials from a bulk storage container bin to a conveyor. A related general object is to provide a boot device by which this feed transfer can be controlled.
More specifically, it is an object to provide a bulk feed bin boot which relieves the pressure normally exerted by feed upon the associated conveyor end.
It is another specific object to provide a boot which can be connected, if desired, to any one of a number of different sized conveyors. The conveyor, in turn, can be oriented in any of a wide variety of positions relative to the storage bin.
It is another specific object of the invention to provide a boot which will maintain a smooth and positive flow of feed from the bin to the conveyor.
Another object is to provide a boot which will permit substantially all the feed to be drawn out of the bin and boot by the associated conveyor.
It is yet another object to provide a boot mechanism which will permit the associated conveyor to be halted in its operation when no feed is being received by it, thereby preventing conveyor wear and other detrimental effects.
It is a further object to provide a boot which will permit the flow of feed to the conveyor to be shut off even when the bin still contains stored feed.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a feed storage bin boot which will permit the associated conveyor to be removed for maintenance or for other purposes even when the associated bin is partially or completely full of feed.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a boot which will permit more than one bin to be operatively connected to the associated conveyor, thereby increasing the effective amount of system storage capacity available and permitting the introduction of several differing types of feed to be introduced to the conveyor.
It is another object of the invention to provide a boot which will permit direct control of the amount of feed which can be introduced to the conveyor over any given period of time.